Broken Heart
by Caku
Summary: [Katawa Shoujo AU] After having a heart attack when her crush asks her out, Homura is transferred from standard schooling to Yamaku School for the Disabled, where she meets friends and lovers. But her past isn't one she hopes to reveal, though it may be better if she did.
1. Prologue

Homura breathed onto her hands, rubbing them together to keep them warm. The cold October wind rustled through the boughs above her. Homura's heart thudded in her chest, rampant with nervousness.

 _Will she show up? Did she get the note? Maybe she just thinks I'm lame, not worth her time…_

Homura paced, leaves crunching underfoot. She had put the note right into the book. _There was no way she wouldn't see it. Right?_ She stopped for a second, trying to literally shake herself out of her nervousness, like throwing off a jacket. A soft crunch met her ear.

"H-Homura?" A voice said softly. Lovingly?

The raven-haired girl turned, although she already knew who it was.

"Kyoko." The words emptied from Homura's lips as though she was three-quarters sure the girl standing before her was a mirage, no more real than an anime character.

The wind sent red, rust, gold, and brown sailing through the air like kids in balerina class, not quite sure what to do, spinning, twirling, kicking simply to do something.

"I got your note," Kyoko said, a small smile splitting her face as she held up a crumpled piece of paper, purple pen strokes noticeable even from a distance. The smile that crossed the redhead's face was the honest, loving kind. The small turning up of the corners of one's mouth that takes so little effort but means so much. "So…" Kyoko's voice trailed off.

Homura hugged her arm like it was broken. Her heart beat heavy, using the skin of Homura's back as a slingshot to smash its way through her ribs and claim Kyoko for itself.

"I-I was wondering," Kyoko began, scratching the back of her head.

 _Thump thump._

"If you, uh, maybe…"

 _Thump thump thump._

"I dunno, maybe, uh…"

 _Thump._

Homura's chest hurt. Her heart was beating… wrong. _No, this is normal. This- this is just how I feel about Kyoko. Nothing bad._

"Ah, shit. Just, maybe go to the arcade together? Get a pizza after?"

 _Thump. Thump. Thump thump th-_

Homura's vocal cords burned. Her legs felt weak. Nothing was working.

 _-ump._

Nothing? Homura collapsed onto all fours. She reached to her throat, trying to massage away the pain.

 _Thump._

What was wrong. Kyoko was yelling. She could feel the redhead's hand on her back. It hurt. Everything hurt.

 _Th-_

So much. It hurt so much.

 _-ump._

Homura collapsed to the ground, leaves crunching beneath her. She felt dizy.

 _Th-_

And then nothing. Her heart stopped. Her vision went black. Kyoko's cries for help filled her ears before…

Nothing.

* * *

The oddly loud opening of the large white door to Homura's room rustled her out of a book. Light streamed in through the open window, smelling more like June than March. Homura's doctor, wearing a white coat and an oversized smile, stepped in through the door.

"Smell that?" He inquired, "Smells beautiful, doesn't it?"

Homura smiled slightly, placing a small slip of paper between the pages of her book.

"Welp," The doctor groaned as he sets himself into a chair. He has an unusual way of sitting, preferring the back of the chair to rest against his chest. "You'll be out of here in a couple weeks, and in just a few days after that, school'll be starting again." He smiled, likely remembering the good old days when he practiced on plastic hearts, not working on real ones, a millimeter with the scalpel and a life ended. "I know it might be tempting to want to go back to public schools, but your parents and I would like you to consider this."

The doctor held out his hand, a small pamphlet in it. Homura took it, flipping through the pages, looking at the pictures, glancing over the blurbs.

"Yamaku," he said, reciting the name written in large letters on the front of the pamphlet, thereafter repeated at least twice on every leaf. "It's a school for kids like you. They've got a 24-hour nursing staff, plenty of physical therapy type stuff, and you can get your education. In fact, you'll probably learn more from there than from some public school. Trust me."

Homura closed the little pamphlet, turning to her doctor.

"Of course, if you do want to go to public school you can. It's just, over at Yamaku, you won't be treated like a special little snowflake. You'll be normal."

Homura nodded.

"Think it over, you've got a few weeks. Also," He now pulled out a much large stack of papers, "Paper work."

Homura flipped through the sheets. Line after line of chemicals she could never hope to pronounce, dosages she could never try to measure, side effects she never knew existed popped out at her from the black lettering.

"I just need signatures. If you actually feel like reading the whole thing, go ahead. It's just your approval for your medication. Heart control stuff, y'know."

Another nod from Homura. The doctor handed her a pen. Within a few minutes, her signature had appeared at least eight times on the massive stack of papers.

White papers.

Always white…

The doctor took the stack, turning to leave.

"Oh, and Doctor Miki?" Homura said, a hint of earnest in her voice.

"Yes, Miss Akemi?" He replied, a drop of teasing in his tone.

"Could I get the paperwork for going to Yamaku?"

Doctor Miki's smile turned from the usual I'm-smiling-because-I'm-supposed-to doctor smile, into a real grin. A real, honest grin, showing off his full enthusiasm for Homrua's choice.

"Of course."


	2. Gateway

Homura faced the tall wrought iron gates. Red brick laced with white mortar stood around the black metal. Students filed off the busses, out of cars, milling around. A man in a large grey coat, or was it a large man in a grey coat, stood at the front of the group. The second and third years had already formed into groups, making the first years look even more like a disorganized mob.

Which, in all honesty, was exactly what they were.

The grey coated man took a large breath, as though to suck all the air away from the students before him. It certainly sucked in their attentions. He gave a quick speech, something about another year at Yamaku, greeting and being nice to the new students, everything you'd normally expect from an impromptu talk about the start of the year.

Maybe everyone was early, and the gates were still locked.

The principal, as the grey coated man had identified himself during his talk, looked around puzzledly. He swung himself towards the gate, talking to someone slightly out of view.

Within a moment the gate creaked open on old hinges, black metal turning to orange. The crowd filed in. Second and third years moved knowingly, gravitating towards a large main building.

Homura looked around her. She was on the outskirts of the group, and had a good view of the lawn. Green led to another set of red brick buildings. Soft April winds that smelled of rain and trees traipsed past. They dragged with them the scent of freshly manicured grass and newly cleaned brick. Golden sunlight beamed down, illuminating the trees and topiary of the lawn.

Homura almost missed winter. Maybe it was because she spent the entire season buried within a book. Transported away. Far, far, far away, somewhere she hadn't spent the past two years in an orphanage. Somewhere she wasn't spending months in a hospital because, at only 15 years old, she had had a heart attack. Somewhere, far, far, far away, where her life hadn't just crumbled, no, been demolished, within the span of two years.

The group had now found its way inside the school building. Teachers shouted over one another to try and get their classes together.

"2-B, over here!"

"3-A, here!"

"1-A, right here!"

Homura quickly glanced at the small sheet she had received from Yamaku. The letter it came in contained her acceptance letter, along with the sheet now in her hands which told her which class she was in, and all the supplies she'd need.

 _What class, what class?_

The numbers jumped out at her.

1-A

 _Where was 1-A? I thought I heard a call?_

"1-A, is everyone from 1-1 here?"

Homura's head shot up. The majority of the group was gone, and she could see a black haired man holding up a sign with the numbers 1-A on it.

"Ah, wait for me!" Homura cried, sprinting towards her classmates.

"Is that everyone?" The teacher asked, "Alright, roll call."

He called out everyones name, one at a time, getting a small "Here!" or "Present!" or "Yeah!" with each one. Out of Homura, he gets a panicked "What?"

"Alrighty," He sighs, "That's everyone. Now then, this way."

* * *

Class 1-A's room was on the first floor, not too far from the entrance. It, like every classroom, had a white linoleum floor. It's walls were wood panelling halfway up, and then drywall with a manilla tint. One wall was dominated by an old green chalkboard, another a large pin board, and a third windows that let quite a lot of light in. In fact, if it wasn't standard school code to keep all the lights permanently on, it would be fine without them. Five rows of five desks, each sitting two people, were aligned in perfect rows, their grey surfaces devoid of scratches or graffiti. Something Homura found quite surprising.

Homura's deskmate was a tall girl, her short hair dyed blue. She looked horribly dejected at being placed with the raven-haired girl, continually eyeing up two girls halfway across the room, one with pink hair put into small twin tails, the other wearing her green-brown down.

"H-hi," Homura said, "M-my name's Akemi, Homura Akemi."

The bluenette didn't respond. She didn't even take her eyes off the two girls, who were now chatting and smiling. The green haired girl turned back, her own eyes looking at the Homura's blue-haired deskmate.

"H-hello?" Homura inquired, poking the girl's shoulder. She turned, looking at Homura as though she hadn't realized she was there. Out of the corner of Homura's eye, the pinkette laughed.

 _She's kinda cute,_ Homura thought to herself, her eyes wandering a bit.

The bluenette slid something across the table to Homura. Looking down, she noticed a small note pad in front of her.

"Hi, my name's Sayaka Miki. What's yours?" Is written on the pad.

"Homura Akemi." Homura wrote, sliding it back to Sayaka.

"I'm sorry we have to talk like this. Unless you know sign language?"

Homura suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She had been trying to talk to a deaf person. Oh god oh god oh god.

"If you were trying to talk to me earlier, it's okay. The teacher didn't put me with my translator. He'll learn soon enough though." Sayaka passed the note pad over with a triumphant grin.

Homura giggled when she saw this. "The pink haired girl over there?"

"No, the green haired one. The other girl's a good friend, though."

A loud cough from the teacher made Homura return her attention to the front of the room. Seeing this motion, Sayaka did the same.

* * *

The rest of the day passed mostly uneventfully. A small tour of the grounds, a brief description of the rules, the usual first day of school stuff. Except with more walking.

In fact, besides the fact that everyone stays on campus, Yamaku isn't much different from any high school.

Homura yawned as she made her way down the hall. Most everyone was already in their rooms. Sleepily walking along, Homura only made a basic note of what looked like a ball of gold gliding towards her.

Once she hit said ball of gold, then her perception of what it was changed. She also woke up quite a bit.

Clutching her head was a blonde girl, no older than Homura. She rubbed her scalp, hair the color of the sun rolling off her head, done up in two drills. She had one eye closed, the other like frosted brass. "Ow…" She groaned, her voice both hard and soft.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Homura blurted out, "I-I didn't see you there, I was so tired and I-"

"No, no it's fine," The girl said, picking herself up, "There's no need to apologize." Her speech is very well bred, barely a step away from being formal.

Homura nods. "I'm sorry," She apologized one last time. There's a short silence as the girl straightens herself out, before looking at Homura. Or, no, she looks a few degrees off of Homura. "My name's Homura Akemi."

The blonde corrects herself, now looking directly at Homura. She smiles brightly, glowing like the moon. "Mami Tomoe," She said, her tone motherly, "It's nice to meet you." She glanced around, looking unsure of herself. "If I might ask, what room is this?" She tapped the door with a long white cane.

"Um, room 213," Homura said, nodding as though to reassure herself.

"Thank you," Mami beamed, turning and opening it, "Good night, Miss Akemi. I hope we might see one another tomorrow." With a small nod, she entered her room.

Homura turned to the other side of the hallway, the number 214 staring her down from the door. So many numbers today…

Homura opened the door, sliding herself into her room. Shutting and locking her door, she relaxed on her bed. The large red athletic bag sitting against her closet door begged to be done with. Homura sighed, getting to work unpacking. Most of the contents were clothes, uniforms, binders, notebooks, books, school supplies, and pills.

Homura smiled as she pulled out the last item in her bag. The only thing that did not fall into any of those categories. She set it atop her book case.

A small, red leaf, preserved in a frame, glass covering it. It, and a small note.

"Remember Homura, we love you so much." It read. A small piece of paper Homura had torn from a letter she had gotten, so many years ago.

Homura's smile dropped to that low smile, that meaningful smile, almost like a chuckle, but lasting longer.

 _I miss you two._


	3. The Art of Lunch

The first half of Homura's second day at Yamaku had passed fairly quickly. She was more than a little bit surprised when the bells suddenly rang to signal the start of lunch. As she followed the group of students meandering their way to the cafeteria, she gave a bit of thanks that she had been paired with Sayaka. Homura's usual shyness didn't matter as she couldn't actually talk to the bluenette.

Though, she had to admit it came back from time to time. Sayaka was, er, nice to look at, shall we say. And then there was Sayaka's friend, the bubblegum haired girl. What was her name again?

The cafeteria was packed, the loud murmurings of several hundred students passing through the air. White linoleum floors. Tables that brought back memories of elementary school were spread out in long rows, packed end-to-end, with occasional breaks to make an aisle.

 _The line is really long… But I'm in the back of the group…_

 _Maybe I'll just wait for it to clear…_

Homura glanced around. She wasn't sure who she was looking for. Sayaka, maybe? How would she get her attention, though? Still thinking on it, she saw a familiar dome of golden hair.

"Mami!" Homura called out, making her way over. The blonde glanced up at the sound of her name, looking around.

"Hello, Mami!" Homura said, now standing just a few feet away.

Mami faced Homura, a small smile crossing her face. "Ah, Miss Akemi, is that you?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's me," Homura said, a bit thrown off guard by being asked such a question.

"How is the line looking?" Mami inquired, glancing towards the general direction of the lunch line.

Homura suddenly remembered the thin white cane Mami had tapped the door with last night. Or, maybe she just noticed it in Mami's hand. Two and two together… _Is Mami blind?_

"Miss Akemi?" Mami asked, looking a bit confused.

"Oh, sorry, I-um," Homura took a quick look at the line, "It's thinning out, do you want to get in line?"

A look of relief washed over Mami's face. "Yes, please. And, uh, if you don't mind…"

This change in Mami's tone, her placing an "uh" in her sentence seemed so wrong. That is, until she grabbed onto Homura's sleeve.

"A-again, if you don't mind."

"N-no, it-it's fine," Homura said, giving the blonde a thumbs up, even if she'd never see it.

With Mami on her sleeve and a blush on her face, Homura guided the blind blonde towards the lunch line. She handed Mami a tray, whom took it with a grateful nod. As Homura began loading up her tray, she noticed the dismayed look on Mami's face.

"Oh, I-uh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Homura quickly apologized, realizing her companion had no idea what might be available, only that Homura was getting some.

"It's quite alright, Miss Akemi," Mami rectified, that beaming smile coming to her face again, "What breads do they have?"

"The breads are just ahead, I haven't gotten to them."

A puzzled look crosses Mami's face. "Then what've you been putting on your tray?"

"Noodles." Homura always loved noodles, taking them at any opportunity at her old school. Mitakihara Middle School had rarely stocked any kind of noodles, so every time they appeared was like finding the holy grail. Except you didn't turn to dust if you grabbed the wrong one.

"I'm not particularly partial to noodles," Mami grimaced, "My parents made them far too often."

"My school rarely had them," Homura said, "It was like a little treasure whenever the cafeteria had noodles."

Mami giggles, smiling brightly.

"Here's the breads," Homura said, grabbing Mami's attention, "They've got, let's see…"

The raven-haired girl listed off all the different types of breads they had for Mami.

"They've got quite the selection," Mami said, a tad daunted, "Maybe I should've just grabbed some noodles."

Homura chuckled at this. "There's no one behind us, we could go back if you want."

"No, no it's fine, it's just," Mami sighed, "There's a number of different kinds. They all sound so delicious." Mami puts a finger between her lips, thinking. "This one," She said, pointing at a random sandwich. The woman behind the counter pulled it out, placing it onto Mami's upheld tray.

The two girls find a table, a small round one in the corner beneath a window. Homura pulled a chair out for Mami, guiding her into it.

"So gentlemanly," Mami giggled, sitting down. She collapsed the skinny cane, setting it on the table. Her fingers glided gently across her tray until they find the silver wrapped sandwich. She unwrapped it, before taking a bite. A small, contented sound escaped her lips.

"Made a good choice?" Homura asked, smiling.

Mami nodded, smiling. Homura turns to her noodles. All three types she grabbed.

Maybe she shouldn't've skipped breakfast…

* * *

Passing across the lawn, Homura was, for the third time today, guiding Mami Tomoe along. The blonde was latched to her sleeve, groaning about how her teacher had given them a "surprise pop review test" on trigonometry. Pythagorean theorem, sine-cosine-tangent, even the laws of sine and cosine.

"If she goes on like this, there may well be a revolution within class 1-C," Mami giggled.

"Our teacher is still doing introduction games," Homura said, smiling, "Today we played one where you have to come up with something you like that starts with the first letter of your name, and then you have to recite what everyone else before you liked."

"That sounds complicated. And unfair to people that get stuck at the end of the group."

"I thought it was kind of fun," Homura admitted guiltily.

"I was just saying it sounded unfair, not un-fun."

The two approached the dorms, walking up the short steps. The dorm buildings are on a slightly raised area, a little above the lawn.

Homura nearly ran into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there," She quickly apologized.

The girl she nearly ran into shook her head, as though shaking herself into reality. And with the slowly draining dazed look in her eyes, she may well have been doing just that.

"It's alright, I was just thinking," The girl said, a smile covering her face, "Sayaka always tells me to go think somewhere else. But you'd never believe the ideas you get standing in the weirdest spots."

"Sayaka," Homura said thoughtfully, "You're one of Sayaka's friends?"

"Mm-hm, that's me. You're her deskmate, aren't you?"

"Yes, Homura Akemi." Homura held out her hand.

"Madoka Kaname," The pink haired girl grinned, holding out a little stub. The sleeves of her shirt, which happened to be the shirt from the boy's uniform, were tied off a few inches above where her elbow should be. It was also now that Homura notices that the pinkette was wearing boys pants, too.

Madoka pulled her arm back, giggling. "I would ask you to shake my hand but…"

"I'm sorry," Homura blurted, trying to apologize.

"It's alright," Madoka grinned, "And who's this." She pointed a stub at Mami.

"Mami Tomoe," The blonde said, nodding respectfully, "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Kaname."

"Well, I'm sure Hitomi's boring Sayaka with talk of her daddy's business, so I've got to go save her. See ya later!" With that, Madoka walked back towards the dorms, waving one of her stubs in the air.

Mami giggled. "She's a character."

Homura simply smiled. "Ready to go now?"

Mami nodded, giving a small "Mm-hm" for an answer. Homura guided her to the dorms.

"Watch out for the step."

"I have this cane for a reason, Miss Akemi."

"Right, sorry."

The two made their way to the second floor.

"213, 214."

"And here we part ways again." Mami sighed.

"Lunch tomorrow?" Homura asked.

"It would be my pleasure. So long as you can actually tell me what is available."

"Right, of course."

"Then I'll see you there."

With that, the two girls parted for their rooms. Homura spent a few hours reading, until her clock flashed 21:00 in it's red numerals. She changed into her pajamas, dozing off to happy dreams of the life she had found here at Yamaku.


	4. Raindrops

**2 Chapters in two days? What? After uploading the last chapter last night, I realized (thanks to ClickClackClickClack's comment) that I had accidentally uploaded The Art of Lunch (Ch2) as Gateway. So if you've been following from the start, I'd recommend rereading Gateway, as it has changed. As kind of.. compensation for my goof-up, I'm posting this chapter a bit early. Thanks all!**

* * *

Homura stared dejectedly out the window. So many of her plans had been ruined by the sudden on pour of rain. Clouds, steely grey, glare down upon their unfortunate target. An unlucky first Saturday. Homura had hoped to go watch the tryouts for the soccer team, then maybe explore the town located at the bottom of the hill from Yamaku.

But alas, all of her plans were ruined. The rain pounded down as though the clouds were having a fist fight with the building. There was no way she'd trek through that just to wander aimlessly around town. And the announcement had already been made that the soccer tryouts were rescheduled for Sunday. Sayaka looked just as upset about this as Homura.

Homura had grown to love soccer. She watched it all the time during middle school, and it was the only thing she did at the hospital besides read. She never played, only watched. She didn't have the athleticism to play even for fun.

The bell rang, signaling the end of classes and the start of the student's first weekend. Homura made her way towards class 1-C's room.

"It sounds like you won't be getting to explore the town," A familiar voice said, a hand latching onto Homura's sleeve.

"No, it's raining pretty hard," Homura groans, leading Mami towards the cafeteria. This had become their usual routine, or at least for the past four days. "And they cancelled the soccer tryouts, too."

"I didn't know you were a soccer player," Mami said, interested.

"I'm not, I just like watching."

"Ah, I see."

"Do you have anything planned for today, Mami?"

"I did want to take a look around the library. I hear it has quite the selection of braille books."

"Mind if I join?"

A grin split Mami's face. "I'd be offended if you didn't."

Homura laughed, turning into the cafeteria. "Then I've got my afternoon set."

The two joined the lunch line, slowly proceeding along. Homura had gotten better at telling Mami what they were passing.

The lunch line was strange. Everything was in pre-packaged tin-foil-wrapped containers, pre-measured with surgical standards, and then remeasured before being handed to a student. It reminded Homura a little bit too much of the hospital, everything perfectly calculated for every possible allergy or eating problem.

Homura and Mami took their seats at the round table in the corner, the loud banging of rain smashing itself against the window filling their spot. By now, it seemed everyone had a "spot", a certain table or section of a table that everyone sat at.

"Your teacher pop any more tests on you today?" Homura inquired jokingly. Mami's teacher had given class 1-C no less than 3 tests over the past 4 days, including trigonometry, Newtonian mechanics, which everyone failed, and poetic devices.

"Meiji Restoration," Mami sighed heavily, not nearly a groan, but almost. "I'm sure half the class failed that one."

"Hey, everyone failed the physics test, so fifty percent is better than one hundred, right?"

Mami chuckled, a smile brightening up her face. "Unfortunately, that fifty percent includes me."

"Well, we could get you some books on that while we're at the library."

"No thank you, please."

* * *

About half an hour spent on the second floor, Homura and Mami realized something. They had no idea where the library actually was. Besides the second year classrooms, nearly every room on the floor was unmarked. And it seemed like there were hundreds of unmarked doors, with no gaps big enough to possibly hold a library. Especially one of the size Mami had described over lunch.

"I think we've already been here, Miss Akemi," Mami grumbled.

"I know, it's just," Homura said, glancing around, "Where is it?"

"You're really set on finding this library," Mami giggled, smiling.

"Any other ideas on what to do today?"

"A fair point." Mami sighed heavily. "I do wish I could be of more help."

"It's alright, you wouldn't be able to do much better."

"Oh, you think so?" Mami teased.

Homura smiled. "There's nothing on any of these doors. No plaques, nothing. And none of the gaps between doors seems big enough."

"What about this one?" Mami inquired, tapping a door with her cane.

Homura glanced at it quickly. She looked up and down the wall it was on. No other doors… It was the only door on this side of the hallway for quite a ways.

 _Goddammit._

"This may well be it," Homura sighed, defeated.

Mami giggled. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Miss Akemi."

Homura slid the door open. "Yeah, yeah. A blind girl can find an unmarked library better than I can."

The two passed through the slightly ajar door into a room that was most definitely not the library. The small room looked only a tad bigger than it really was, due mostly to the white walls. A table, much too large to be in this room, sat against the wall opposite the door, the shadow of the iron curtain hanging above Yamaku cast over it's softly colored birch surface. A few dejected chairs, in full cushy black regalia, had been cast in the corner. A mini fridge sat beneath the counter that ran across the corner furthest from them. The marbled blue counter tops were decorated with a small rose in a vase and a microwave. There were several hanging cabinets, done up in white paint to match the sides of the counters they perched above. The room smelled of janitor's disinfectant, and not much else. A bit of old wood and paint.

"I take it this is not the library," Mami murmured.

"It looks more like a faculty break room or something," Homura answered. She felt a little bit happier that Mami hadn't been correct. A minor victory. No hard feelings. "It doesn't seem like anyone's used it in a while."

"School did just start again this week, Miss Akemi," Mami pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but like," Homura scratched her hair, trying to think of how to describe it, what to point out, "I mean, there's just a bunch of chairs thrown in the corner. You'd think if they were even planning on using it, they'd at least have them not laying on their sides."

Mami considered this point. "Perhaps, perhaps," Was all the answer she gave.

"So, we keep looking?" Homura asked, unsure if her friend was getting bored.

"I didn't know there was another option," The blonde chuckled.

* * *

It was nearly another quarter hour wandering before they found the library. The large oak door creaked on old hinges, the smell of books wafting into the hallway. The scent brought a gentle smile to Mami's face.

The place looked slightly eerie because of the cloud cover. A few tables were visible, occupied by students reading. A few tottered down the aisles, books being pulled down, looked over, put back. Homura approached the large desk just ahead of them.

"H-hello?" She probed, hoping someone would be behind the counter.

A loud crash was her answer. A boy, around their age, stood up from behind the desk, rubbing his head and balancing himself against the counter. "Ow," He groaned, "I'm sorry."

"Is everything alright?" Mami inquired, unsure of what had just happened.

"Yeah, it's just, I was trying to organize books in the cart, and then you guys came up and startled me and I bashed my head on the cart," The boy said, before adding, "It's fine really,", noticing the worried look on Mami's face.

"Are you the librarian?" Homura asked.

"Me? No. She had something to do, but these needed to be organized so I offered to help," He explained, now using both arms to support himself. "I came in here to find if they had any music books or pieces or something." He glanced behind him, looking confused. "I, uh, I could use some help back here."

"With what?" Homura asked.

"I need my crutches, and they're over there," He said, motioning with his head to the back of the desk. "Crawling around is fine back here, but I still need to find what I was looking for. The books, I mean."

Homura grabbed the boy's crutches, bringing them over to him.

"Thank you," He said gratefully, tucking the crutches under his arms.

"Oh, Kamijou, how far did you get on the books?" A voice asked.

The boy spun around, at least as well as his crutches will let him, to face the owner of the voice. A woman, likely in her mid-twenties, entered behind the desk. She wore a pair of brown-rimmed glasses that match her chocolate-colored hair.

"I finished, they're all sorted," Kamijou said, nodding.

"Oh," The librarian said, surprised, "Well, thank you then. I didn't expect you to finish."

She glanced over Mami's way, suddenly noticing the two girls patiently waiting. "Ah, I-I'm so sorry!" The librarian quickly apologized, "I-uh, did-did you two need something?" She fidgeted nervously with her dress.

"If you, uh, if-" Homura stammered out, suddenly anxious of setting the equally nervous librarian off again.

"If you could point us towards the braille books," Mami said, taking the pressure off her nervous friend, "It would be much appreciated."

"Oh, and any music books or pieces you might have here," Kamijou quickly added.

"I, uh, Braille is off that way, along with audiobooks and large print," The librarian said, gesturing towards her right, "And I think we have a bit of musical, erm, stuff, off that way," She now gestures back and to the left. "Sorry for being so unhelpful. This is my first year here. The last librarian who'd been here forever went to Europe to do research for a book and then she got married so she's staying there and I go to the college not far from here and we've got a great selection here so I'd come over to study and then they asked me to be the librarian and I need money for college so… here I am."

"It's quite alright," Mami said, beaming.

"I, uh, yeah, thank you," The librarian replied, looking like she was ready to disembowel herself after divulging all that she had.

Homura led Mami in the direction the librarian had indicated, Kamijou giving a curt wave of goodbye before limping off towards the music books.

* * *

The light clacking of Mami's cane broke Homura from her book. "Hey, Mami," Homura said, grinning at her friend.

The blonde smiled, finding her way around the low wall Homura had hid herself behind. The raven-haired girl had found a quiet corner, separated from most of the library by a low wall. The rain had given up trying to batter Yamaku into submission, and had instead taken up tickling it with gentle drops. There was still no sign of the sun, but at least it was getting better.

Homura had piled up several, as in eight, unused bean bag chairs, along with a number of pillows, forming a little nest. Mami's cane tapped one of the bags, the light shimmying of beans giving away what it was.

"I see you found the bean bag chairs," The blonde giggled.

"I found a number," Homura smiled, "Just sit down. You'll land on something."

"I wish I had such faith in you, Miss Akemi," Mami beamed. She sat down, letting herself rest on one of the bags. She swung her legs so they were within Homura's nest, nearly kicking the grey-eyed girl in the process. "You've made yourself quite the bed here."

"I'd call it a nest."

"Did you find any good books?"

"Mm-hm, a few." Homura smiled, eyes scanning the shelves around them. "There's so many books here. It's amazing."

Her tone of wonder caused Mami to laugh a little, her face lighting up with a smile. "Then I'm glad we found it."

The rain continued for several hours, but by the time the two left for the dorms, it had let up. The scent of wet pavement and grass wafted around, and the sun sent warm rays through the soaked boughs of the trees.


	5. Puddles

Homura finished the trek across the soggy green lawn, now overlooking the soccer field. The ground squished underfoot, soft from the rains Saturday. A warm Sunday morning breeze passed over the cool grass, whispering like gossiping girls. A number of students were already standing around in gym clothes, talking and warming up. Homura walked towards the stands, which were slightly wet still.

Homura set the towel she was carrying down on the bleachers, sitting down. No wet rear for her, though some of the kids that had also come to watch were not as fortunate.

"Oh, hey Homura!" Someone called cheerily.

"Ma-Madoka," Homura stammered happily, a bit surprised at seeing the pinkette.

"What're you doing out here?" Madoka asked, sitting down next to Homura.

"I came to watch. I-I enjoy soccer."

"Sayaka dragged me out here," Madoka stated cheerily, swinging her legs out. "I kept telling her that I wanted to paint because I got a really good idea, but she insisted I come out to watch her tryout. She kept on telling me how disappointed she'd be if I stayed inside and painted all day, so I told her I was planning on painting outside, but she wouldn't budge. And then of course we had to find and grab Hitomi." The pinkette sulked, puffing her cheeks out in protest. "It was a really good idea."

"Well why don't you paint it later?"

"I lost it."

"Your idea?"

"No. My paintbrushes. All of them. Poof." Madoka made a motion with her stubs to show an explosion. "All three sets, plus most of my extras."

"Who'd do that?"

"I dunno. But getting them all back will require Sayaka and Hitomi's help." Madoka shook her arms, pointing out why she'd need help. "I lost all the little bags and stuff a while ago."

"How do you usually paint outside then?"

"My mouth." Madoka stated this as though there was no other possible option. Which in reality, there wasn't. "I carry some stuff in a backpack, but my brushes go in a little bucket, and I carry the handle with my mouth. They even took the bucket."

"That… sucks." Was there really much more to say on the matter?

"I think I know who did it!" Madoka perked up, grinning.

"Who?"

"Sayaka."

"W-what?"

"By taking away all my brushes, she made it so my only thing to do today was watch her try out."

"Would Sayaka really do that?"

Madoka considered this, even touching her chin with an arm. "No, no she wouldn't. I thought I had it."

"Maybe someone took them so you'd come after them."

"Why would someone do that?"

"Maybe they wanted to talk to you, but were too nervous to start a conversation."

"Did you steal my brushes, Homura!"

"Wha-I-No! I didn't even know you painted!"

"Oh, you didn't know? Maybe Hitomi then? No, she wouldn't do that." Madoka looked positively puzzled.

"What am I being accused of?" A green haired girl said, walking up the bleachers towards the two.

"Oh, hi Hitomi!" Madoka said cheerily, "Any idea who stole my brushes?"

"Don't tell me you lost them yet again," Hitomi giggled.

"I didn't lose them," Madoka pouted, "Someone stole them this time. Even Bucky was gone!"

"B-bucky?" Homura asked, unsure if she wanted to know.

"Bucky the bucket!" Madoka groaned.

"I'd say if even your bucket is gone, it's likely you lost your brushes," Hitomi reasoned, "Yet again. Did you check under your bed?"

"I had them on my desk yesterday. And then I came back, and I put them away, and then someone stole them while I was asleep."

"Where did you put them away?"

Madoka stared at the ground, looking as though she was trying to will the ground to give her the answer. "I dunno."

"Don't you normally store them under your bed?"

"Not when they're wet."

"Were they wet? You didn't paint yesterday, if my memory is correct."

"Well yeah, we went to that tea house in town. So I didn't do any painting. Also the lighting was wrong."

"So, since they weren't wet, then you stored them under your bed."

Madoka stared blankly. "Oh."

Hitomi sighed, sitting down next to Madoka. "I do believe they're about to start now."

"Doesn't that mean you have to get down there?" Madoka asked.

"Yes, I guess it does." The seaweed-haired girl picked herself up, walking down to the sidelines.

A few instructions were given, and the kids on the field were off. Homura's eyes were dragged towards a blur of blue, dashing across the field. When asked to do goals at varying distances, the blue-haired figure hit all of them. It was quite an amazing sight, and whomever they were, they were likely one of the best players on the field.

When the applicants were finally done, nearly an hour of kicks, running, push ups, and anything else the coach could think up, it looked like the blue blur was ready to faint.

"Yeah! Good job Sayaka!" Madoka yelled joyously, seemingly oblivious to the fact Sayaka couldn't hear her.

 _That was Sayaka?_ Homura wondered. Sure enough, here came up the steps the bluenette, supported slightly by Hitomi. Sayaka was drenched in sweat, but a massive grin had spread across her face. She collapsed onto the bleachers, smiling.

Homura offered her towel, Sayaka nodding to accept her offer. Madoka took it, wiping her friend down like a coach wiping sweat off his boxer. Sayaka's hands begun moving, signing to Hitomi.

"Of course you did great, Sayaka," Hitomi said smiling, signing all her words a the same time as she said them, "You were probably the best one down there!"

"I don't think I've even seen you kick like that!" Madoka beamed, Hitomi signing her words to Sayaka, who smiled.

"Sorry for stealing your brushes, Madoka," Hitomi said, before bursting out laughing at Madoka's response, trying her damndest to keep up with the pinkette.

"I knew it was you! I knew it knew it knew it! You were so adamant about me coming to watch you." Steam was practically pouring out of Madoka's ears, and Hitomi and Sayaka were cackling like maniacs. Homura couldn't help but laugh at the situation herself.

"Maybe I'll steal your uniform before a big game," Madoka pouted, attempting to cross her arms.

* * *

Homura entered the library for the second time this weekend. She gently placed the pair of small books she had finished yesterday down the chute on the librarian's desk. A soft pat found her ears, quickly followed by the sound of books tumbling down, then a loud bang, and finally quite a few expletives.

A familiar face brought itself up from under the counter, the silvery haired boy Homura had met yesterday looking straight at Homura.

"This isn't going to become a regular thing, is it?" Kamijou asked.

"I'm really sorry," Homura apologized, "I didn't know you were there!"

"It's alright, it's fine. Ugh, everything fell over." He ducked back under the counter.

"Do you want some help?"

"Sure, that'd be great."

Homura made her way around the desk, sitting down next to the grey-haired boy. There were books strewn everywhere, the two Homura had tossed down the return chute sitting happily, victoriously, on the metal cart. Every book Kamijou picked up he looked over, probably trying to see if it was a music book. The two went about organizing the cart for ten or so minutes, all the while Kamijou glancing over at Homura every minute..

"Is-is everything alright?" Homura inquired, bringing her hand to the right side of her face. She felt anxious. _Is he checking me out? Or is it-_

"I-uh, it's nothing, just," Kamijou held his tongue for a second before finally saying, "What happened to your face?"

Homura nearly leapt to her feet at his question.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Homura cut him off, blurting out "I'VEGOTTOGODOSOMETHING."

And with that, she was off.

* * *

Homura gazed over her body in the large bathroom mirror. Black burns groped her breast and hip on the right side like a pervert. The marks caressed her arm, pouring onto her hand so that no shirt would cover them. Her scars wheeled around her face and eye. Homura normally had her hair covering the right side of her face, so as to hide it as best she could. She pulled her hair back, tying it into braids, just like she used to in elementary school.

No, she could never do it herself. Her mother always had to do it. Homura had been so proud of herself when she learned how to, back in her second year of middle school.

Her eyes traced the scars, malign tendrils reminding her of her inescapable past. And then there was the small jagged scar between her breasts, looking as ripe as the day she had had her heart surgery, back in October. Homura ran her finger along it, shivering a bit at the touch. Another permanent reminder that Homura was wrong, that she didn't belong. Reminding her that, twice now, her life had changed horribly.

Tears fell down Homura's face, her mind trying desperately to hold back the horde of memories clawing their way up from the darkness. But the tears. Even if the memories were hidden, the tears.

No.

They wouldn't stop coming.


	6. Cold Iron

Homura eyed the tile as the door to room 1-A slid open.

"Miss Akemi," the teacher said, "You're quite late."

"I-I know..."

He glanced back into the class, then back at the grey-eyed girl in front of him. "Everyone, continue on your worksheets. I'll be back in a second."

Homura heard a few of the kids jokingly "oooooh"ing, her head hanging even lower.

"Is everything alright?" Her teacher inquired.

The brunette gave no answer.

"If you want, you can go somewhere else." His voice was kind, not understanding, but... knowing.

"Yes, please," Homura responded.

"I've got a class to teach, but..." His voice trailed off as his student avoided his eyes, "Is there anyone I could fetch to help?" The raven-haired girl nodded. "May I ask who? I'll go get them, send them to you with the worksheet from today."

"M-Mami Tomoe, class 1-C," She murmured.

"And may I ask where you're going?"

"The library..."

"Okay."

Homura turned to leave, clutching her books tightly.

"And Miss Akemi?"

She turned, still refusing to raise her head.

"I'm not sure about 1-C's teacher, but if you ever need to do this again, just tell me."

Homura nodded before continuing on her way.

Homura's silver eyes scanned the small pile of books stacked in the corner. She had once more formed the little nest in the back of the library, just like the first time she had come here. There were so many books, and not a one of them looked interesting now. Nothing was interesting.

"I just want to curl up and die..." Homura murmured to herself.

"Homura?" The familiar friendly voice shook her from her thoughts.

"Hey, Mami..."

The blonde came over, sitting down next to her depressed friend. She reached a hand behind herself, placing something on the pile of books. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," The raven-haired girl said, holding back tears.

"It doesn't sound like it."

"Then there must be something wrong with your hearing."

"Homura?" Mami sounded a little offended by the statement, but not enough to break the concerned look on her face. "I would ask if this is about transitioning into this new life, but from the tone in your voice-"

"I'm used to having my life turned on its head."

"What?"

"I'm used to everything going wrong."

"Homura, I-"

"If you could see my face, you wouldn't be my friend."

Her milky golden eyes opened wide, a look of surprise crossed Mami's face. "Wh-what do you mean by that? Why would you say that?"

"Because I'm a freak!" Homura spat, "Because every part of me is broken in some way! Because... because..." The brunette finally broke down, tears spilling out of her eyes.

Her blonde friend threw herself around the crying girl. "That's not true, that's not true at all!"

"It is! No one in their right mind would want to be friends with me! I'm a freak, a monster!"

"Then call me insane! Because I want to be your friend, and even if I could see you, I would want to be your friend! You're my best friend, Homura, my very best friend."

"M-Mami..." Was all the girl, crying and held tight in her friend's arms, could choke out between the tears.

"You're a wonderful person, Homura. Call me insane, tell me I'm out of my mind, but that's what I honestly believe. You're fantastic, and I..." Mami herself was crying now, too. She swallowed hard before saying, "And I don't know what I'd do without you, how I'd feel if I lost you."

For what felt like a good hour, the two were silent, holding one another, their tears slowly dying down. When they finally stopped, the blonde slowly released her best friend. "You really are great, Homura."

"M-Mami," Homura glanced away, feeling a small blush cross her face. What these thoughts crossing her mind were, the brunette didn't know, but...

"Yes?"

The raven-haired girl leaned in, a hand reaching for her friend's cheek. "Thank you." And with that, Homura had her first kiss.

It was a tad sloppy at first, Mami taking a second to react. It lasted maybe five, slow and gentle. Neither of them had a clue what it meant, but gratitude is a hell of an emotion.

"H-H-Homura," The blonde stammered, still unsure of what to think.

"I, uh... sorry..."

"N-no, it-it's fine."

The girls said nothing for a moment, an awkward silence prevailing their little corner.

"I, uhm, I've gotta get back to class, if everything's alright."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, uhm, I'm b-better now, thank you."

"Yeah, uh, okay. Sorry, teacher's orders."

"N-no, no! It's okay, it's okay!"

"Okay, uhm, talk to you later?"

"Of, uh, of course, yeah! Talk to you later!"

"Al-alright!" Mami's hand reached out awkwardly for a second, towards Homura's face, before the blonde stood up, spun around, and left quite briskly.

Mami tried to concentrate on the worksheet in front of her, but it felt like even the words in the page refused to be read. _Come on, Mami. You can do it!_ She cheered in her mind.

But sadly, she could not. Her mind refused to focus on anything.

Well, almost anything.

She reached a finger up, touching her lips, remembering how her best friend's had felt against her own. How soft they were, the light taste of just-add-water noodles, and the small taste of tears.

 _Homura..._


	7. Soccer Green

Another Saturday afternoon, and an early soccer practice. And by early, I mean a day early. Sunday would be occupied with a practice game versus another nearby school. Most of the players only heard "practice".

Sayaka on the other hand...

"Did she even hear you tell her it was a practice game?" Homura asked Hitomi. The two watched Sayaka flow with such intensity you'd think she was in the World Cup. The passionate flame in her eyes, practically visible from the stands, could light the field on fire.

"I'm sure she did," The girl with seaweed hair answered, "I'm also sure she doesn't care."

"She's an amazing player, and passionate about the sport, too."

The blue blur sent the ball screaming down the field, right into the footwork of one of the boys, who quickly reacted by shooting it towards the goal. The kick missed, but there was Sayaka, catching it in the air with her foot after the gaolie headbutted it away, smashing the ball into the net like a rocket.

Hitomi giggled, a smile crossing her face. "She is fantastic, isn't she." The tone in her voice was soft, and the way she looked at her friend on the field, the way her emerald eyes lit up...

"You two must be very good friends."

"She, Madoka, and I have been friends since first grade. Even before I met her, Sayaka was playing soccer."

"Really?"

"Mhm. Her father used to always say she was born with cleats on and a ball in her hand." The green-haired girl chuckled at the thought. "She used to play on the high school team. She was a bit of a celebrity, but... her deafness was always something people laughed at her about. But seeing her on the field? You wouldn't know it. She can just look at where everyone's going, and in a second make a decision, without a word."

"You said she was kind of popular?"

"Yeah, she was."

"Did, uhm, I mean, she uh, she's not... un-pretty. Did anyone ever have a crush on her?"

Hitomi smiled, laughing a little. "She is definitely not un-pretty. There were a few boys who crushed on her, a girl or two, also."

"Did she ever date anyone?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I mean..." _How to say this without sounding like an ass..._ "She's deaf." _Great job, Homura._

But the translator only nodded. "That did stop a most in their tracks. She never did get a boyfriend or girlfriend." She suddenly stopped, glancing around. "But there was one girl. She learned sign language, just to get closer to her."

Oblivious, Homura said sullenly, "That sucks."

"What?"

"Well to learn a new language, just to have your crush go off to a different school."

"My parents would disown me, erase me from their wills, and kill me if they heard me say this, but..." With a red face and deep breath, Hitomi said, "That girl is me. I've been crushing on Sayaka for... god, how long? She doesn't know, and I doubt she'd be interested in me, but..." Her voice trailed off, eyes moving to watch her crush drive home another goal. "I don't know."

"Maybe you should-" The raven-haired girl was cut off by the loud banging of someone skipping across the bleachers.

"Hey, what'd I miss?" Madoka yawned cheerfully, plopping down next to Homura. Unlike normal, her pink hair was down, and a total mess on top of that.

"Well you missed an important meeting between Sayaka and I," Her friend said indignantly, "And we decided, without you, that you'd have to stay here tomorrow."

"What." The simple confusion in the pinkette's voice was adorable.

"What?"

"You two are leaving me?"

"What, no. Well, yes, but-"

"I knew it!" Madoka shot up, pointing her stub accusingly at Hitomi.

"No, just listen for a second."

Madoka sat down without a word, puffing her cheeks out poutingly.

"There's a practice game at another school tomorrow. Sayaka is going with the team, obviously, and I'm going with to-"

"Can I come!" The bubblegum-haired girl leaned across Homura like a rocket, eyes wide and excited.

"No, we already decided you need to stay. I'm going with to translate for Sayaka."

"Meanie." The pinkette returned to pouting, which was quite cute.

"You can spend the day with me, Madoka," Homura suggested. _What'd be so wrong with that? I mean, spending the day with a cute girl like Madoka..._

"I was going to suggest you lock her in, but-"

"Hey! I'm still here!" Madoka shouted, interrupting her friend, "Besides, my room is smelly."

"Why does it smell?" Hitomi inquired.

"...Reasons."

"Maybe if you left your paintings in the art room, your room wouldn't smell."

"Some drying paint is a good smell-" The bubblegum girl made a large motion with her arms, "-But there's too much! And I dunno which paintings to take to the art room, I need to experiment with different ones being in and out!"

"Is that why you were late?"

"No."

"Then why were you late?"

"Like I said. It was too much. Spray paint is strong stuff."

Hitomi groaned out of her friend's idiocy, but the girl continued.

"So I almost passed out. Luckily I had painting masks. And a quarantine sign. Well actually a piece of paper I wrote QUARANTINE on, but it works."

"And how do you now plan to move these paintings without gassing the entire floor?"

"Fast hands and gas masks."

"Well Sayaka and I will be gone tomorrow, so we can't help you."

Both Hitomi and Madoka turned their attentions towards the girl sitting between them.

"Wha-what?" Homura asked, worriedly glancing between her friends and their gazes.

"Homura-chu~!" The pinkette giggled happily. _Dear God save me I might die of cute._ "How would you like to help me run paintings from my room to the art room?"

"O-oh, s-sure!" The raven-haired girl stammered, her heart beating at what felt like a million miles an hour.

 _Wait._

 _Fuck._

 _That's not good._

Homura shut her eyes, holding onto her chest, trying to feel her heart beat.

 _Thump Thump. Thump Thump. Thump Thump._

 _Thank God._

"Homura, is everything alright?" Hitomi asked, a small tinge of concern in her voice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," She lied.

A high-pitched noise broke the girl's conversation, the whistle sounding the end of practice. With a grunt, the translator stood, walking down the bleachers. "That's my cue. Talk to you guys later!"

Homura decided now would be a good time to head back to her room. With a "See you tomorrow" to Madoka, she departed.

Homura's hand stopped for a split second, hovering over the handle to her room. She turned, eyeing the door opposite her.

 _Mami hasn't spoken to me since Monday..._ She thought to herself, _But why?_ The brunette had been confused about this since Tuesday, and it was time to get answers. With a loud rasp in the door, she waited.

There was a quiet crashing sound, scrambling, and then a distraught "Hello?" from the inside of the room.

"Mami? It's Homura. May I come in?"

More crashing and scrambling was accompanied by a surprised noise and hurried footsteps. The white door opened to Homura's blonde friend, who was trying her best to hide... some mix of emotions.

"Of course, come right in!" She said happily, giving a big grin.

The source of the crashing was made apparent by the mound of books toppled over in the corner of the room.

"I was sorting some new books from my parents," Mami explained, "I apologize for the mess."

"No, it's fine." Suddenly faced with the opportunity to get answers, words escaped the raven-haired girl.

"I'm... guessing you came here to ask why I've been avoiding you..."

"Yeah." A pang of guilt hit Homura's heart at so easily admitting that, not even pretending she just wanted to hang out or... something, anything else. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I should be the one apologizing."

"So why have you?"

Mami turned her head away, milky eyes refusing to meet Homura's. "I..." The blonde's mind was running at a thousand miles a second. Now could be the perfect time to confess, but...

"I had a lot of homework. Our teacher assigned us a huge amount in preparation of the tests today, and so I had to skip lunch to work on them. She gave us no time in class to work on them." She giggled a little. "I swear, there'll be a revolution one of these days."

Homura chuckled, smiling. "Okay then. I'm glad you didn't hate me or something."

"Why would I hate you, Miss Akemi?"

"I guess so," The brunette nodded.

"Now, if you don't mind, I need to get back to organizing my books."

"Oh, of course. Have a good night!"

As Homura was about to step out the door, she turned, calling back, "Would you be available to help Madoka and me with something tomorrow?"

"I most certainly would."

"Alright! Talk to you tomorrow then!"

And with that, Mami lost her best opportunity to tell Homura her feelings.

And with a sigh, she accepted that fact.


	8. Madoka Sitting

"One eighty-two, one eighty-two," Homura murmured, passing through the hallway. It was mostly empty, except for a few girls and a bike. The number 182 caught the brunette's eyes. "This should be Madoka's room."

And, just like the pinkette had said yesterday, a sign reading a very roughly-painted "Quarantine" was hung up on the door. A pair of painting masks hung from the handle, and Homura took one as a precaution.

 _I should find Madoka and Mami first,_ she thought to herself, _But I don't know where Madoka is... I doubt she'd still be in her room. But let's see what we're up against..._

Homura turned the handle, opening the door to the bubbly girl's room. A wall of paint fumes crashed into the grey-eyed girl's face, who shut her eyes and covered her head with her arm.

 _Jesus christ..._

The curtains were already open, and an armless figure stood in the center of the room, gazing out of the window. As Homura let down her guard, the figure turned.

Madoka wore an immense smile, visible even under her own mask. "Hi Homura~" She giggled.

"Did-did you sleep in here?" The black haired girl asked.

The pinkette cocked her head, eyes confusedly studying her friend. "Where else was I supposed to sleep?"

It was a good question. But anywhere would've been better than here. It was obvious the fumes had gotten to her head a little, even wearing the paint mask all night.

Madoka swayed, swinging around as Homura shut the door. She chuckled drunkenly, grinning from ear to ear. "I could've slept with you, Homura-chu~!"

 _Does-does she means what I think she means? No, no of cou-_

"We could've had lots of fun~"

 _Jesus christ she does._

It was about now that Homura realized that her friend was pantsless. Just leg and... hopefully panties under that oversized shirt.

"Whatcha looking at, Homu-Homu?"

"Ah! Uh, nothing Madoka!"

The girl standing in the center of the room giggled cutely. "You're wondering if I'm wearing panties or not, aren't you~!"

"Wh-wh-what! N-no! Why would I-"

"It's okay." Madoka's stare turned from bubbly to confused. "I'm wondering the same thing." She stuck her tongue out as she plopped down on the bed. "Wanna check with me?"

Homura could do nothing more than shake her head.

"Suit yourself." The pinkette swung around and the raven-haired girl averted her gaze as her friend spread her legs to check. "Yep, I am. I've been known to forget. Well, I know I forget. Which is weird, because if I had remembered earlier, I wouldn't've forgotten, but I remembered later, so I did."

Homura turned around as she heard Madoka once more plant her feet on the ground, the bed creaking a little as she stood.

"So uhm," The girl who had a second ago been blabbing about forgetting panties tilted her head, "What're you doing here again?" Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the ceiling, as if the answer was written somewhere up there.

"I, uhm-"

Before the confused brunette could answer, Madoka interrupted her, eyes going wide. "I remember! You wanted to talk to me and you were going to confess that you have a crush on me and-"

"WHAT! N-NO, THAT'S NOT."

"At least let me finish. Besides," Madoka took a few shaky steps forward, giving Homura a wink and lifting her own mask. The last step brought the two close, the pinkette's face only a few inches from her friend's. She lifted the grey-eyed girl's respirator, and with a grin said, "I already know~"

She tripped, or so Homura thought. Instead, as the raven-haired girl caught her high friend, the bubblegum girl brought her face close enough to kiss, and kiss she did. The brunette, confused, heart racing, took only a half second to react, melting into it. She awkwardly attempted to embrace her partner while still keeping her standing.

 _What. What. What. What. What. What._ Was all that could go through Homura's mind. Simple, utter confusion.

Madoka slipped out of the kiss, continuing to fall into the timid girl's arms, giggling like a five-year old. The bubbly girl stumbled backwards, her smile turning to a tired face, laughter dropping off. Homura dashed forwards as the pinkette came crashing down, passing out in the pitch-haired girl's arms.

 _Uh… what?_ Was all Homura could think.

Homura's foot tapped against the floor anxiously. The nurse had been checking up on Madoka for almost a half hour now, and still hadn't come out.

The door to the nurse's room suddenly slid open. "Ah, Miss Akemi," He said with a grin. The nurse was close to being in his forties, and always had an oddly upbeat attitude.

"How is Miss Kaname? Is she going to be okay? She's not going to get lung cancer or some-" The nurse cut the brunette's worries off with a simple gesture.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. However, she's going to need to rest for a while, and we need to keep an eye on her."

"Oh, okay," Homura answered, a little unsure of what to think.

"There is something you could help me with, if you're free," He grinned.

"Yes, I'm free today! I was going to hang out with Miss Kaname, but..."

"If you wouldn't mind," The nurse began as her voice trailed off, "I'd like it if you could remove the paint and paintings from Miss Kaname's room. It would be nice if she could return to her room tonight, rather than having to stay here. Oh, and while you're at it, open a window."

"Yes sir!" The ravenette responded, turning and running off to complete her assigned task.

Homura reentered Madoka's room, slipping her mask back on. _I might as well get started on this._ She picked up a small stack of paintings, trying her best not to smudge any of them. She carried them out of the room and back towards the main building. As she entered the school building, she realized something.

 _Where the hell is the art room?_

Luckily, as Homura began looking around, a red-headed woman in a multi-colored apron was walking down the stairs. Or no, those were paint stains. "Uh, uhm, ex-excuse me!" Homura called out, getting the woman's attention.

"Oh, hello," She said, stopping and looking at the first year now running towards her, "Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, I'm, uh, I'm looking for the art room."

The redhead smiled a little, nodding. "This way," She said, turning and walking towards the stairwell. Homura rushed to follow, trying to be as careful as possible with the paintings. Usually one might expect a small conversation to be brought up, questions like "Are those yours?" or "Why are you going to the art room?" would usually be asked. Apparently not now. The teacher simply guided Homura on her way.

The art room was on the third floor, a fairly plain-looking door with no markings. Much like the library. "Here we are," The teacher said happily.

"Thank you," Homura responded, nodding and opening the door.

"Oh and tell Miss Kaname to come see me. I have some work she might be interested in doing," She informed Homura, "I take it you're a friend of hers?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," The raven-haired girl stammered, "How did you-"

"I'd recognise her work anywhere," The art teacher beamed, before turning and leaving.

The brunette set the art down on one of the large tables, careful that she didn't smudge the work at all. _I'm sure the teacher will have a better idea where to put these,_ She thought to herself. Homura made her way back downstairs, crossing back across the lawn and to the dorms.

 _I guess I've gotta get a bit of exercise in somehow,_ she chuckled. A familiar shape stood awkwardly in the hallway, walking to and fro with uncertainty.

"Oh, hey Mami!" Homura called out, smiling at her friend.

"Ah, there you are Miss Akemi," The blonde sighed, "I presume you know where Miss Kaname's room is?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's right here," The black-haired girl said, "Here, take one of these masks."

"Dare I ask why?"

"I'm sure you'll get it when I open the door."

Mami cringed, putting on the air mask. The door opened, and her golden eyes popped open as the wall of paint fumes smacked her in the face.

"Yeah," Was all Homura said before getting back to business, "Grab a few of the paintings laying around, and I'll show you where we're putting them."

The pair carried their load back to the art room, depositing them on the desks. Then another load was taken, and another, at which point Madoka's room was clear of art. The two girls heaved heavy, relieved sighs as their work concluded.

"I'm sure Miss Kaname's friends will be happy when they hear what happened to her in your care," Mami teased.

"I'm trying to enjoy myself here, Mami."


	9. Artistic Influence

**WHOA I'M NOT DEAD**

 **Sorry about the long wait. The end of the semester hit me hard, and most of Winter break I've been feeling blech, so it's taken me a while to write. BUT hopefully I'll be able to get into a more regular writing schedule or something. Even so, with school and all, expect a couple weeks delay between each update. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Madoka's friends were, infact, not very happy to hear what had happened to the pinkette. Hitomi hadn't blamed Homura when she sat down at her table over lunch and discussed it. It was Tuesday, just two days after the, as Mami called it, "Madoka Incident". The bubbly girl had returned to classes, albeit in a much more tired mood than usual. Or ever, to be honest. The bubblegum-haired girl who could usually blab about God knows what at any time of day spent her first day back sleeping on the desk, even after getting shaken by both Homura and the teacher.

Sayaka had apparently rescheduled a private practice with some of the other soccer players to visit Madoka on Monday. Since she and her translator were off doing something athletic on the far side of campus, Homura supposed that Madoka would be in her room.

Maybe I could get some answers about what happened, The raven-haired girl thought. She had been constantly flitting back to that little kiss they had shared, what it meant, what it was about. Maybe Madoka actually had a romantic interest in her, or maybe it had just been drug induced, or maybe it was a friendly thing. Did friends do that? But if she did have a… thing for Homura, would it be possible to have a relationship? Could her heart, quite literally, handle that?

Unfortunately, by the time she had really begun to consider the question, the door marked "182" loomed over her. Its soft oaken surface bore the quarantine sign still. Maybe Madoka doesn't want to be disturbed. She's probably still still sleeping or wants to try to or something. I should just go back. As her mind continued to trace possible reasons why she should turn away and leave the door, her body also refused to do anything but stand still, hand raised and ready to rasp. She let out a sigh. C'mon Homu, you've gotta fight for yourself for once. A girl had said that to her, a girl with hot red hair.

A girl she had loved.

The rasp never came. Homura's hand never made it to the door. It had swung open as the fist arced down. A girl, with soft, bubblegum-pink hair, opened the door, looking at Homura with almost red-brown eyes… or no, were they golden-brown? She yawned, scratching her nose like she had just woken up, and with the tumbled mess her hair was in, she may just have. "Hey, Homura."

All the steely-eyed girl could manage was a simple "Hi". It was like her entire vocabulary had bolted like one of the track kids.

The two simply stood there for a moment before Madoka motioned for Homura to enter the room. She closed the door behind them, Madoka taking a seat on her bed. A few more seconds of silence permeated the softly lit bedroom, drowned a light orange from the color of the curtains drawn across the window. The pinkette interjected first.

"I know why you're here." Her usual smile was gone. It felt like someone had stolen the original Madoka out of the nurse's office and replaced her with a much more dour clone.

"O-oh?"

The pinkette nodded before saying, "You're here about why I kissed you on Sunday."

The blush that crossed Homura's face was an answer enough, but she nodded and said, "Y-yes."

The silence rolled in between them, Madoka's eyes studying the patterns on the carpet. It felt like aeons before she said anything else. "I'm surprised you remembered that," The brunette chuckled awkwardly.

"So am I." It came out flat, none of the usual bubbliness and cheeriness that seemed to always permeate every single one of the artist's words.

"I, uh…" Nothing could come into Homura's mind to say. Every word, every joke, every mood-lightener. It was all wrong. "I can come back later if you like?"

Madoka finally glanced upwards, but turned her head to look out the window. "Okay."

That was all Homura got out of her that night. 'Okay'. Said so hollowly, so blankly. 'Later' was originally going to be in a few hours. That quickly turned into overnight. Then a day. Then two, three. Madoka seemed to get better, more excited, more bubbly.

Then Saturday came.

* * *

Homura heard a heavy knock, followed by a loud groan at her door. She rushed over, opening it, worried someone had banged their head on it for… whatever reason. Maybe they weren't looking where they were going, or got pushed into it?

Sure enough, someone had banged their head against the door. A girl with gold-brown eyes and hair dyed bubblegum pink stood with a bright red forehead before of the doorway, wincing in pain. As soon as she registered that the door had been opened, her expression changed drastically.

"Hey Homu!" Madoka said happily.

What the heck is happening. She hasn't talked to me all this week, didn't show up to class today, and now…

"What's shaking?" The pinkette beamed.

This.

"Uh, not-not much?" Homura stammered out.

"I was wondering if you wanted to walk with me."

"Walk with you? Where?"  
"That'd ruin the surprise!" The bubblegum-haired girl rocked on her heels, her body swaying back and forth.

"At least how far, then? Or how long?"

"Oh, uh, maybe a half an hour? I dunno, time just kind of melts sometimes, you know?"

Homura most definitely did not know. "Oh, uhm, okay."

"So you'll come?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Yay!" Madoka beamed brightly, a smile anyone would be hard-pressed to say 'no' to.

* * *

It did take them about a half an hour to get to Madoka's destination. They were in the woods to the north-east of school, on top of a small hill. The trees hadn't made their way up here yet, and the tall grass easily went up to both of their waists. Flowers of all different colors sprouted out, bathed in the soft sunlight. Only one tree, a short and stout evergreen, had sprouted up here, and a pair of brilliantly colored birds alighted its branches.

"Isn't it cool!" Madoka said, running and twirling, making her way up on top of a large rock protruding from the hillside, "I really wanna paint a picture of this," She pointed towards the tree, "Or maybe that," Her arm extended now towards the horizon and the rows of tall trees, "Or even that!" She then pointed back towards school, the red brick buildings visible over the treeline. Homura had never seen her smile like this.

The steel-eyed girl joined Madoka atop the rock, glancing around at the scenes the pinkette had gestured at before. "It is really beautiful."

The two stood there, gazing at the scenery for a several minutes, the bubblegum-haired girl grinning like a child. She looked so gorgeous there, swaying back and forth, wind brushing her hair back.

It was she who broke the silence. "You never came later."  
"Sorry," Homura glanced at her feet.  
"It's okay. It gave me time to think."

"Think?"  
"Yeah?"

"About what?" The raven-haired girl looked back up at her friend, whose eyes were on her. The bubbly face had gone. Her new expression looked… matter-of-factly peaceful. Like she had considered all she had made of her life, all it was, and had come to terms with everything. It was unlikely she had done so, but it was obvious she had done lots of thinking about whatever she was talking about.

"About what matters to me."

"I thought it was obvious?"

"Really?"  
"Painting."

Madoka smirked, giggling a little. "To an extent, but there's something… somethings more."  
"Like what?"  
"Like friends…" Her voice trailed off as she looked back at the horizon. She started swaying again. "Like you."

Homura's face scrunched up in confusion for a second. Why did she seperate me from 'friends'? Am I not her friend? But then why do I matter? Am I like… the arch-nemesis who always makes you try harder? The sister? No, that doesn-

And then it hit her.

"Y-you don't mean-"

"Don't mean what?" The pinkette looked interested, curious.

"W-well it-it's just that… that you separated me from 'f-friends', a-and maybe I-I'm over thinking th-this, but, uhm, yo-I was thinking maybe th-that meant s-something, but again I-I'm probably over-thinking and i-it was just a w-weird wa-"  
"Homura."

"Yeah?"

"Just say it."

There was a silence. The brunette's mind raced and raced, trying to think everything through, her heart condition, her feelings, her time…

Her appearance.

"Never mind."  
"What?"  
"It was a dumb idea, just forget it."

Madoka looked concerned, her eyes softening up. She had stopped swaying.

"I said forget-" Homura stopped. The pinkette had reached an arm up, touching the side of Homura's face. She had to raise onto her toes to do it, and she was surprisingly close. The brunette's heart skipped a beat.

She had touched the right side of Homura's face, pushing the hair out of the way. Madoka's eyes were closed, her breathing calm.

"I don't care if it was a dumb idea. Sometimes, dumb ideas are the best ones, like painting on a rock on a hill."

"Did you mean… you think of me as more than a friend?"  
The bubblegum-haired girl nodded, opening her eyes. The stub of her arm stroked the burn marks softly, but her eyes were locked on the eyes of the girl in front of her. They stayed like that for what felt like centuries.

"You're much more than a friend to me," Madoka giggled, she rose higher on her toes, planting a short, small kiss on Homura's cheek.

The pinkette sat down, smiling at the horizon. Smiling at what may lay ahead. The ravenette joined her, a gentle grin crossing her face.

The pink-haired girl turned to Homura. She gave her a small smile, that gentle turning-up of the corners of one's mouth. A smile that took so little effort, that was so small, but spoke volumes.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend, Homura?"


End file.
